Tony & Jethro
by Leonora Chris
Summary: AU. Baltimore again, but things are very different this time... Tony works on a case when he meets Jethro who is grieving over a recent loss.
1. Chapter 1

_**— The story and any possible original characters are mine. NCIS, its own characters and canon aren't.**_ _ **—**_

 **So I started watching this old crime series a few months ago. As a kid and teenager, I always loved the show. And the first main character Richard Moser was for me the Tony DiNozzo of the time** _ **(I refuse to talk about how they ended his story. It never happened)**_ **. The second main dude was alright, but nothing like the first. But he's still better than the ones that came after... Anyway. I might have been bit inspired. The series is up on youtube and it even has English subtitles, for those who are interested: " _Kommissar Rex_ ". It's only few, but some episodes aren't for the too young. Just so you've been warned.**

 _ **Leo**_

* * *

Detective Anthony DiNozzo—a few years under his big thirty—was not only young for his badge, but he had also more experience and solved cases under his belt than most others, which didn't gain him any favors among the other detectives. So it was no surprise to him when his partner had chosen to once again 'forget' that they were supposed to meet at the crime scene and why early in that morning Tony was alone, with only the cops and the people working at the crime scene as his company. Personally, he didn't mind it too much since he did his best work alone anyway. Alone and at night, when most people preferred to sleep.

The case was like any other murder case and it started like any other working day would; you get the phone call, or an order from the boss, and you drive to the crime scene. He wasn't anticipating that the day would follow him around for years to come.

"So what do we have here?" Tony asked one of the officers. The man glanced at him and when he answered the question, it was monotonic and clearly something he'd practiced saying a few times already.

"Bullet in the head. Most likely never saw it coming."

"The victim?"

"Female. Not much older from us. She is— _was_ one of us." The monotone speech cracked slightly at the end, betraying the young man's personal feelings toward the victim.

Tony's eyes darkened. It was always more personal and close to home, when one of their own was killed. Someone who had already given their life and sometimes even their sanity for other people, to keep them safer and more ignorant of the dangers hiding out there and the dark minds behind even some of the friendliest looking faces. It was ungrateful job overall.

 _Who will look after the heroes and who will keep our protectors safe from their own monsters?_

Seeing the Medical Examiner give him the nod, Tony walked closer. He almost flinched when he saw the body. With her eyes still open and her long red hair spread around and mixed with the dark red blood surrounding her head, it was like looking at some grotesque painting. He frowned at the way her arms almost looked like they had been positioned over her head. Even one of her legs looked strange. Only the clothes didn't match the picture, which looked very much like...

"She's dancing," Tony muttered softly to himself and he made a mental note of that. He was startled out of his musings at the sound of someone taking another close-up photo of her.

"Anthony, it's good to see you back. How was your break? I do hope you used this chance to get some rest and live a life outside the work."

Tony nodded his greetings to the Medical Examiner. "It's good to see you too, Ducky. The break was good and plenty of time to catch up on all the movies I hadn't seen yet." He ignored the frustrated huff at his lack of 'real life'. He did go out with women, when he had time and didn't feel like he'd fall asleep in the middle of a date. What more was there? "So is it what it looks like? I'd say the cause of death seems pretty obvious from where I am standing."

Doctor Donald Mallard tutted. It was unclear whether it was because of the body or because of his young friend's lack of social life outside the work. "You know that I can give my final answer only after I have done the autopsy. However, this reminds me of a good friend of mine who unfortunately got too deep in the world of crime—I was just a boy then, really—and after a one time too many he—"

"The case, Ducky..."

"Ah. Yes. It does look that way and— Anthony, my boy, where is your partner?" Ducky asked the question, which Tony had feared he would, just like he always did and as usual, he lied. Why he was covering up for her, even he wouldn't know.

"She went to get some coffee."

Ducky tutted again and the old man was once again marveling how the woman had been given the Detective badge in the first place. Yes, _given_. While no one knew the details, it was the worst kept secret that Major Shepard favored the young woman and had forced her to become partners with Tony who had trouble keeping anyone working with him for more than two years. His youth and experience was something of a snare to the other detectives, especially for those he had worked with, who could not accept that he was the Senior partner, despite being younger than most. And now, even though his newest partner had barely any experience under her belt, she more often than not thought that she was the boss of the two. Simply put, she was neither an investigator nor a cop. A loose cannon was more like it. As long as she was around, Tony truly was better off not having a partner at all. "Oh, Anthony..."

Ignoring the scolding look from his old friend, Tony opened his mouth to ask about the time of death, when he heard it. Looking toward the house behind them, he almost dismissed it as nothing, but then it happened again. "Was the building cleared? I think I heard something," Tony murmured and he heard it again; a scratching sound coming from inside the house. Then there was the unmistakable sound of something crashing on the floor. He took out his SIG and slowly made his way inside. Well, as slowly as he had to without alerting whoever was in the house. If there was anyone.

"Anthony!" Ducky called after his young friend and looking around he frowned when he realized no one had even noticed that their Detective had disappeared from the scene. To be fair, Tony could be both that person who always had everyone's attention and he could also blend in with his background, but this was still not right. "Not right at all..."

If the building looked from the outside like it wouldn't last for another year, it looked like a complete death trap inside, but Tony still checked every room in the surprisingly spacious building. Carefully opening another door, he was beginning to think he'd imagined hearing anything at all. That moment of doubt was why he wasn't prepared to face what hit him next and Tony barely had time to even realize something was moving toward him from the shadows. He was slammed painfully on the old filthy floor, leaving a big cloud of dust around him and his attacker.

To his shock he wasn't looking at some perp who had caught him unawares, but instead he was staring straight in the eyes of an unusual pair of blue eyes. For a split second Tony started panicking when he thought the animal pinning him on the ground was some wild beast. A wolf of all things. A wolf with blue eyes... There was a first time for everything and it would be his usual luck to be mauled by some wild animal. Then he saw the collar around the dog's neck. So it was a dog, right..? But for all the silver fur, huge size and the blazing eyes of a killer, the animal didn't look anything like a trained house pet.

Swallowing nervously at the low growling and bare teeth far too close to his neck, Tony had no doubt that the beast could easily rip his throat open. He caught a glimpse of the name on the collar. "Jethro..." Tony sounded and looked much calmer than he really felt, but that was only a testament to his undercover skills. He could easily fool even himself if needed and right now there was the lingering understanding that he shouldn't show the animal any fear.

The dog was still growling at his prey and Tony didn't think he would be fast enough to reach his gun, which he had dropped on the floor next to him. The wolf-dog would've no doubt been much faster.

"Jethro. You look like a good boy." What a lie. The silver monster looked anything but good. This was his very own ' _the Hound of the Baskervilles_ ' and somehow he didn't think saying 'attaboy' would be taken too kindly... He could be wrong, but for a moment Tony thought that the blue eyes narrowed, but whatever else it may or may not be, it was still just a dog, so Tony kept talking and praying quietly for his backup to show up, which seemed to have gone AWOL on him once again. Then again, he had left without checking if anyone had even noticed him leaving.

"I'm one of the good guys. A cop. Well, I'm a Detective, if you want to be specific." Great, now he was talking to the dog as if it could understand him. At least Jethro had stopped showing teeth, so Tony took that as a good sign to keep talking, "I'm not your enemy. I'm a friend?" Dear God, let one of the words be the miracle word that meant the dog understood to not kill him...

The man and the dog stared at each other for a time that could've been an eternity or a mere second. Tony held his breath the whole time, until he became light headed and felt like he was becoming one with the floor as things became hazy for a short while. After that all he saw were the blue eyes. He was no dog—or wolf—expert, but he was pretty sure this dog wasn't anything you could learn to understand by reading textbooks.

A cold nose against his cheek reminded him his lungs needed some oxygen. "I know... I know..." Tony mumbled as he finally dared to breathe again. Then he coughed when he inhaled some of the dust still floating around them, sparkling under the first rays of the bright morning sun. He was still pinned down and his back and the back of his head were protesting. The dog was also even heavier than it looked.

Jethro finally moved, not away from his 'victim', but to get a good scent of the man who was surrounded by so many different scents that it was driving the dog almost mad with confusion and curiosity. Most humans had clear specific scents, mingled with other scents they picked up daily that weren't dominant. This human didn't seem to have any one clear scent. He had to take his time with this one. He nudged at his new plaything with his nose again. While he wasn't an old dog yet, he wasn't a puppy either, but the human clearly was still just a pup since his youthful scent wasn't that different from the human puppies. Jethro liked the young ones. Most of them.

"What's gotten you so excited all of a sudden?" Tony was baffled as the dog started wagging its tail and was now licking at his cheek. He shuddered as he remembered seeing his neighbor's dog licking at its genitalia that morning. "Stop that."

Much to his relief, the big dog finally moved, but it was still watching him carefully as Tony slowly stood up. His back was going to really hurt tomorrow and probably sporting few bruises. Not to mention his head, which he never failed to hurt one way or another. He mourned as he could only imagine what his clothes looked like. At least it was better than being covered in blood again. That stuff was nasty and he'd ruined many good outfits that way.

Tony eyed the dog warily. "Come on... Let's get out of here."

It was slightly disconcerting how easy it was for him to guide the dog to where he wanted, but since it made things easier for now, Tony wasn't going to question it. The closer they made it to the door, so much more pathetic the big animal became. The change was almost dramatic, changing the dog's entire personality. By the time they stepped outside, Jethro was whining heartbreakingly. Moving slowly closer to the body, the dog's head was hanging low and the tail looked lifeless.

"What's with the... dog? It's a dog, right?" someone asked with clear wonderment and some fearful respect.

Tony ignored the question and he stared at Jethro who was now sitting close to the body and whining softly, those blue eyes never leaving the body even after it disappeared inside the body bag. When the body was moved away, Jethro tried to follow, but Tony grabbed him by the collar and held him back.

Having spent a moment frowning at his young friend's almost filthy new look, Ducky finally looked at the animal next to him. "Oh my. That's Jethro... Shannon's dog."

"Shannon who?"

"Our victim. Shannon Fielding."

"You knew her?" Tony frowned since usually he knew everyone from low to high positions and yet he knew nothing about the female cop.

Ducky looked almost pained. "She was a good friend. In fact, whenever she was unable to take Jethro with her, she often left him with me. I am one of the few people on the very short list of those who can touch Jethro without getting my hand ripped off, which is why I am also his unofficial personal vet. The poor dog is not very fond of almost anyone. Men or other animals."

"Isn't he trained?"

"He is, but Jethro has always been... difficult case. He's also the only dog who made it through the training of one Mike Franks. The man is the biggest bastard you could ever meet. Ruined many of his trainables... It needed one woman's touch to truly get him to behave. The dog. I do not believe there is any hope left for that man."

"Well, this dog might be our only witness. I found him inside one of the rooms in the house. I wonder what Shepard would say if I told her I'm taking a dog under my protective custody." Tony smirked and he was almost looking forward to that little conversation. There was no love shared between him and his boss who loved using him for her own personal gain with far too much liberty.

"Anthony... I'm not sure that is a good idea..."

Crouching down, Tony didn't think much of it as he held his hand over Jethro's head. Seeing as for now the dog sat quietly and looking obedient, Tony gently rubbed that spot behind the ears in a soothing manner. Looking up, he saw his old friend staring at them with a strange look on his face. "Ducky... How worried should I be? He's a police dog, right? Clearly not a pet. But from what you've been telling me so far... Is he any good? Does he listen to any commands, coming from someone other than her?"

Ducky seemed thoughtful as he studied the two. "Jethro has always been one of a kind and meant for more than being a partner for a simple police officer. Don't get me wrong. Shannon was good at what she did, but she was never going to be an investigator nor work on big cases where a dog like Jethro could be much more useful. If someone else is able to control him..."

For being such highly decorated Detective, Tony could be awfully dumb when it was about him. "And if I can't find someone like that? What will happen to him then? Does Shannon have a family who could take him?"

Ducky sighed and shook his head. He should've known better than try going with the more subtle way with someone who didn't understand what a big deal it was that he was able to hold his hand over the head of a dog who would've by now ripped off even his—Ducky's—hand. "No. I am afraid her family never liked Jethro and he was already a lost cause before Shannon. She was the only one for him. I fear that his time is running short."

Tony didn't like the implications behind that and he frowned. He had already made up his mind to take the dog with him, until he found someone who could handle such beast. Man or a dog, he didn't like to think where the grieving animal would be put if no one could handle it... They looked at each other, the man and the dog, both studying the other. Tony spoke so quietly that only Jethro's keen ears caught it, "I'm sorry. You really loved her, didn't you?"

Someone—he didn't bother seeing who—spoke to him as if he had completely lost his mind and perhaps he had, "You really are thinking about taking that thing with you? You're crazy, man. I've seen some of the things it has done, heard things even worse, and it's a miracle it hasn't been put to sleep yet."

"Maybe," Tony admitted. What was he doing? Children, animals... He never quite knew what to do with them. The only real experience he had came through the cases he worked on and those situations were anything but ideal. As for his own childhood... Well, he'd had to be like a small adult before he could even walk. Pets had been completely out of the question.

"You're insane."

"Enough," Ducky almost growled and the young man who had spoken, nearly shrunk under the steely gaze, which was unusual for Ducky.

Meanwhile, Tony had stopped listening to them as he was only then wondering how to smuggle this giant animal inside his apartment without anyone noticing. The only animals allowed were small ones, like that annoying rat lookalike dog next door to his apartment. Jethro was a mountain of small dogs. The dog Mount Everest. Standing side by side, Jethro's head reached somewhere around his waist, and he was a tall man. If worst happened, Jethro could eat that yapping rat for breakfast.

This was clearly a huge mistake... No pun intended.


	2. Chapter 2

"So. This is my home," Tony explained awkwardly, unsure how to welcome a dog into your home.

They had somehow made it to his apartment without anyone noticing and not only that, but everything seemed to work out almost too well. If he'd thought that he was going to need some help or maybe even someone with a dart gun, he had been pleasantly surprised. Jethro simply followed him quietly in his car and from there it had been easy and nothing was this easy. Not in his life.

Jethro stood in the small living room, looking like a shadow of the beast who had jumped on him less than an hour ago. As strange as it was, Tony found himself worrying. He had a nagging feeling of wrongness.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? I'm sure I have some food... somewhere. Wait here and don't pee on my carpet."

Jethro didn't react and it was only after Tony disappeared in the small kitchen when the dog slowly climbed on the couch. The scent of his Shannon's death was still strong in his memory and the feeling of loss even greater.

"Ah-ha! I knew I still had this," Tony cheered happily and then there came sounds of swearing as he was looking for something clean to put the food and water in. There wasn't much time to buy food or do all the much needed housework when you were almost never at home. Something smashed on the floor in the kitchen and Jethro knew from experience that he should stay far away from that place for some time. His Shannon often dropped things while making food and more than once his paws got those sharp things stuck in them. The dog whined softly since it was yet another remainder.

Few frustrated swear words later and after using the vacuum cleaner, Tony came back in the living room. He was carrying big bowls of some canned meat and water. The smell coming from the meat was almost foul. "I see that you've indeed made yourself home... A little too comfortable for my taste. Don't make it a habit. That's my couch. My sacred place. I use it more than I use my bed."

Jethro merely glanced at the young human who was clearly nervous and somehow kept fidgeting even when he was standing still. When the bowls were set on the floor next to the couch, Jethro moved his eyes away and stared at the big pile of things against the wall, which looked like what Shannon used to put in her big box of sounds and images. She didn't have that many though. Once again Jethro was reminded of his loss and he whined.

"Oh, Jethro... I know. Believe me, I know how it feels," Tony murmured softly and he started petting the dog's head. Jethro's ears twitched and he decided to ignore the human's presence for now.

Looking around, Tony grimaced at the mess in his apartment. He would have to muster out some energy after work and make things look much more presentable, but he was usually pretty much dead to the world almost as soon as he closed the door behind him, which was the reason he almost never saw his bed since the couch was closer... If his back wouldn't protest it the next morning, he'd simply crash in front of the door. Glancing down at the food, which Jethro hadn't even looked at, Tony started wondering just how much and what food did a dog of this size even eat. He was glad that this was only a temporary situation since he was pretty sure big part of his paycheck would otherwise go to taking care of this dog. "Come on, eat or at least drink some water. I'll buy more food later. Real food. Well, real food for me and dog food for you. Whatever that is."

Jethro moved his ears slightly as a sign that he was at least listening.

Tony was feeling frustrated and realized he may have indeed taken a bit too much on himself by taking the dog with him. He hardly knew anything about dogs. Much less dogs like Jethro. "I need to go back to work now, but I'll be home as soon as I can. Don't pee on the carpet. Or on my couch."

Jethro glanced at the young human who stared at him with uncertainty. He finally looked up when Tony walked to the door and left without another word. Both the food and water remained untouched, but Jethro kept his eyes on the door.

* * *

"Where were you?" were the first words that greeted Tony when he stepped in the Baltimore PD.

Seeing her face, Tony had to push away the mental image of strangling her before it became something too close to the reality. Instead he forced a smile on his face. "Well, miss David, had you been at the crime scene, you would know. How's Michael? How is his little business doing in these days? The word on the streets is that it's paying off well. What a shame we can't all become mobsters."

She completely ignored his anything but subtle hint that he knew she was having an affair with someone from the mob. "It is _Detective_. You know I was coming, but I was sleeping when you called me. I cannot be running work undressed."

He didn't bother mentioning that from her apartment she should've had plenty of time to be there early and instead he kept the smile on his face and reminded himself that not much longer and he'd be rid of her. Perhaps both her and Shepard if things worked out as they should. God, he hoped and prayed that they did or he'd be in a world of pain if they found out he was behind it all. "Right. Sleeping. Nice perfume by the way. It fits you like a glove. Very masculine. But enough of that, I have work to do and not time for this."

She looked almost murderous, but somehow didn't comment on it. "Our case?"

"My case. Nothing you need to worry about and I already cleared it with the boss. Not Shepard, but with Morrow, since we all know how good she is at making bad decisions that ruin careers and destroy lives." Not to mention how livid Tom Morrow had been lately at the very mention of the mess that had been going on under his nose.

"Tony..." Ziva started with a warning. Of what, he could only guess. Threatening him and anyone else she didn't like with bodily harm was a daily occurrence.

"It's DiNozzo to you. Turns out that since you keep ignoring those phone calls, they put you on a little timeout until certain things have been sorted out. Thanks to that I'm on my own for a while." As if it was going to be a chore or some kind of hardship... He chuckled inwardly and sat down behind his desk to start his computer.

"You cannot—"

"Some of those phone calls were from the IA people trying to reach you. It's funny how they keep missing you whenever they come looking for you at work."

She was quiet for a while and Tony counted all seven seconds—seven and a half—before she finally spoke, clearly choosing her words carefully, "IA? What do they want?"

"I don't know. Same old I'm sure. By the way, just out of curiosity... Is Shepard aware of your little love affair?" He never got his answer.

"David! In my office!" It was the voice of Major Shepard and as Tony watched the two women disappear behind the closed door, he could only imagine what was being said. More than likely it had everything to do with IA and he wouldn't be surprised if Shepard had been ordered to not talk to Ziva before they did.

Sometime later and when Tony had just started typing in the keywords to find cases similar to this one, a shadow landed over him. He smiled faintly. "Not now, Abby. I'm busy."

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Jethro! Oh, that poor baby... He must be heartbroken! Of course he is! Where is he, so I can love him and make him a happy little dog again?"

Tony frowned as he repeated the unfit word in his head. _Little_? Which part of that dog was 'little'? And did everyone but he know that cop and her dog? It was really starting to irk him. Granted, Shannon was low on the food chain, but if both Ducky and Abby knew them and he was sort of close to them... He should know. He was getting rusty and careless. Busy work schedule was no excuse. Tony chose his words carefully so he wouldn't reveal how surprised and annoyed he was, "He's being taken care of."

His words were not careful enough. Abby looked horrified. "No! They can't kill him! You can't let them! I refuse! You need to stop them! He's a good dog, really, he just doesn't like men. I'm sure I could take him. I'll figure out something. Just don't let them kill him!"

"Abby! Calm down, he's fine. He's at home. My home."

"He's at..." She seemed shocked. "Your place? But... But he hates men. He tolerates Duckman, but he really, really, really, _really_ hates men. You, Tony-boy, are no woman. I mean, you're cute and maybe pretty enough if you shaved more often—not that I don't like your unshaven look because it's hot, and you know it—and maybe if you would let me put some make-up on you, maybe a wig... Then there's your clothes and—"

"I get it. He hates men and... Please, don't." Tony swallowed down the horror, and memories of his mother dressing him up when he was a child, and pulled away from Abby's ice cold hands as they were stroking at his cheeks with too serious and thoughtful look on her face. At some point, he didn't know when, she had sat down on his lap and... Where on earth did she pull out the eyelash thing? "I'll sabotage your Caf-Pow for a week if you don't keep that away from me."

She was pouting, but after a moment of hesitation she finally put away the mascara. "But I thought it could help if he thinks you're a woman."

"He's a dog... He'll know."

"Oh, right. Good point. Hey. Can I come to your place later? I mean you're wonderful and all, but still a man, and I'm a woman and I think he loves me and—"

"Abbs..."

"Please?"

His sigh was deep. He didn't like people coming to his place, which was the only place where he could find some solace and be himself. He hated the very idea of it being ruined. Having the dog in there was already too much. "I'll think about it." That meant no, he would not think about it. Other than how to avoid it.

"That's good enough for me. Give him a pat on the head for me, if he doesn't bite you. A hug might be too much, so I'll do it myself when I can." She stood up and, knowing they were being watched, she gave him a big kiss.

"Abby!"

"That's for threatening my Caf-Pow."

"Get back in the lab before McGee comes looking for you again. No wonder he keeps glaring at me whenever I come in there. You're not making his jealousy any better... I'll bring you a Caf-Pow later, on your next break."

"Oh, he has a girlfriend. You know, that new cute one? No reason to be jealous. So... Will you bring me the big one? I know what they say, but the size does matter." She of course had to almost shout that last part, so that the listening ears caught it.

"The extra large. If you're nice. _If_."

"I can do nice."

"Of course you can."

When she left, Tony started searching for a mirror. Not finding it, he took out his knife and used the reflection on it to see the damage and muttered a curse at the deep dark red lipstick all over his dry lips. She had done it on purpose, knowing it would cause the people gossip even more and it would add more fuel into the rumors about his womanizing ways. As if he had enough time to even do more than some flirting now and then. His work was his lover and she was a jealous bitch with a whip.

Tony was still rubbing his mouth clean from the lipstick when he got a phone call. It was his neighbor who was complaining about strange sounds of whining and howling coming from his apartment. "I'm sure it's nothing Mrs—... No, I don't mean to imply you're—... Listen—... Yes... No... No..! Fine, I'll go make sure it's not coming from my apartment... Yes, _I promise_." Ending the call, Tony rubbed a hand over his face. It would make his life so much easier if he could duplicate himself. He had no idea how to fix this one. He'd known it wouldn't be so simple, taking that dog with him, but... Stupid neighbors and their overzealous hall monitors. _Women_. Can't live without and... He could become a monk. He could.

With a sigh, he stood up and promised to return soon, not that anyone was paying him any attention now.


	3. Chapter 3

On his way home, Tony somehow remembered to buy dog food and a leash for Jethro, not that he was planning on keeping the dog with him longer than he had to and the leash was just a precaution. More for his sake than the dog's.

When he opened the door to his apartment, he was met with silence and from the first glance everything seemed to be where and as they should be. He would later realize how there had been a certain heavy feeling of foreboding in the air, way before he even fully opened the front door. For now he entertained the thought of rubbing this in his neighbor's face, but then he would have to admit that yes, he was indeed hiding a dog. A dog the size of a small horse. Shaking his head at the people who heard and saw things that weren't there, Tony had to only take a few steps away from the door when he saw it.

It was a disaster. Things had been knocked over and it looked like a small hurricane had swept through his living room. He was distantly grateful that he had closed both his bedroom and kitchen doors... But it didn't end there. Somehow the couch had gotten into an epic fight between life and death and it had lost. His beloved couch had been completely destroyed. Tony whimpered at the sight straight out of a horror movie.

The dog was lying next to the couch, looking too calm for someone who apparently had something against the furniture and decided to show who was the boss.

"You... You stupid dog..." Tony was speechless. Sure, the thing was older than dirt. His couch, not the dog. It was old and worn, but it was comfortable, like a piece of heaven to lie on. It had survived his frat years, when they found it and cleaned up. Lord knows what else it had survived for years before that and all it took was a few hours with a mad dog to end it. "Stupid..." He kept trying to find the right words, but he was at a loss. How do you express your feelings to someone who surely wouldn't understand? Was there some special way to punish a bad dog without anyone giving you the evil eye for it? Namely someone like Abby.

Jethro raised his head. The look on his face could easily be described as something like ' _What?_ _I didn't pee on it_ '. Of all things and instead of guilt, the dog looked almost smug. Can a dog even look smug?

"What am I going to do with you? Bastard..." Tony muttered and after dropping the dog food and the leash on the floor, he went to get his trash bags. Better start cleaning up the mess now and not when he came back home, too tired to do anything about it even if he was willing.

Jethro sniffled before his eyes spotted the hated object laying on the floor and he leaped toward it.

When he heard the growling, Tony came running and saw the dog trying to murder the brand new leash. "No! Jethro! Bad dog! Bad! Give me that..." As he tried to take the leash, Jethro gave a deep warning growl and Tony backed off. Muttering a curse, he could only watch helplessly as somehow those strong jaws managed to destroy the whole thing. The guy at the pet shop knew nothing... Looking at it now, there was no way that could've been able to hold a dog like this piece of... _Jaws_. Like the movie. Close enough.

"I really have to find someone who can handle a nightmare like you or there's nothing I can do for you."

Jethro completely ignored the mumbling human as his full focus was still on the leash.

Rubbing his forehead between his eyebrows, Tony wondered what he should do now. He didn't trust this dog to let it run around freely when commands wouldn't work, but he couldn't leave Jethro in his apartment either. Looking around, his eyes finally caught the perfect thing. Hopefully. "I'd like to see you try breaking this one..."

* * *

Walking back in Baltimore PD brought them two kinds of reactions from the people in there. First there was the silence. Utter and complete silence. Those who already knew the infamous mad dog, for them it was a mix of shock and awe and some nervous looks thrown their way. Those who didn't know Jethro, for them it was as it had been for Tony when he first saw Jethro and thought the dog was some wild beast. A wolf. Even one of the criminals stopped his violent struggling and he stared with horrified wide eyes when they moved past him. Then came the soft murmuring as people started whispering among themselves.

Tony wasn't blind nor deaf and so he rolled his eyes and flashed a smile. "Relax. He won't bite, I think... I'm back. What did I miss?"

Even with the scene from before, Tony was blissfully unaware that Jethro didn't tolerate any leashes limiting his freedom, but this was hardly the usual situation and neither was the 'leash', which was something he had quickly put together before leaving home. The new leash was a strong chain and with it the only thing to worry about was whether _he_ would be strong enough if he had to hold back the dog when it truly wanted to go somewhere, or worse, attack someone.

"Abby called. She found a match on some fingerprint. That's all I know, so don't ask. She gave the message, I delivered it." The Detective who spoke was one of those not in the 'DiNozzo Fan Club', but somehow the presence of the dog stripped any hostility, replacing it with great amount of nervousness and made the man wish that his desk wasn't so close to DiNozzo's. The dog's strange blue eyes kept staring at him for some reason.

"Ah. That's good news. I'll go and..." Tony stopped and he looked at Jethro. He obviously couldn't bring the animal in the lab with him. Just getting rid of the dog hair on his clothes was going to be a chore. Let alone bringing the source of it in there. He also had to go see Ducky... It annoyed him how Abby rarely bothered to call his cellphone if she couldn't reach him right away. Somehow she seemed to think he was supposed to always magically know when she had something for him. "I need someone to watch the dog for a while."

 _Shockingly_ everyone were acting deaf and were suddenly busy working and talking. In other words they were doing anything to not give an excuse to end up having to keep the dog near them. The sudden sounds of papers being moved, fingers tapping on the keyboards, file cabinets being opened and the many feet rushing away was almost hilarious. Of course he wasn't going to have any volunteers...

Tony looked around and spotting their buff and heavily built female cop walking in the room, he took the risk and put on his most charming smile, even if the woman kind of scared him. "Allison! I need a small favor..."

She eyed the dog warily. "DiNozzo... No. I've heard the stories. The answer is no. No amount of booze or flowers will be enough."

"Allie... I know a guy who makes the best coffee you'll ever have. I know you want. You do, don't you? I know you do. I promise it'll be very good. Please?"

"I'm not... I don't... Stop doing that eyelash batting. It doesn't look good on you." With his stupidly long and dark lashes, with those eyes, it was a lie and they both knew it. The sparkling smile that Tony gave her was unapologetic and charming as ever.

"You wound me, Liz. Please? I'll make it up to you later."

She muttered something about it never being what she wanted—and he most definitely did not shudder at the sultry look she gave him—and then she finally gave a small hesitant nod, which was enough reason for Tony to push the 'leash' for her to take, before taking off with a promise to be as fast as he could. "Thanks, Al!"

* * *

It took longer than he thought it would, which made Tony very nervous, knowing there was a whole lot of something Jethro could end up doing with all that time in his paws.

First, there had been the moment of realization just how much dog hair he'd been carrying on him thanks to the mess back at home and then having to fix that.

When Tony finally made it to Ducky, he kept trying to get a word in the middle of some long tale about a man and a snake—or a man who was called Snake—and get to the reason why he went to see the man; the body and the cause of death, which thankfully wasn't anything mysterious or he was sure Ducky would've remembered something else it reminded him of.

Then he spent good extra ten minutes trying to escape from the claws of Abby when he went to see her in the lab and not before spending fifteen minutes making sure he wouldn't compromise the entire place with some other dog related surprises. He was quickly becoming more than a little paranoid over things like that... Then he ignored the murderous looks McGeek kept throwing his way whenever she became handsy with him. Handsy with Tony, not McGee, which was the problem.

Ducky seemed far too amused with the whole situation. And why he was there with them, Tony wasn't sure he dared to ask the old man who had seemed a little lonely after the death of the man's mother.

"I need to get back to work now, Abby. Seriously. I'll see you later." It took some force, but he finally pulled himself free from her and put a safe distance between the two of them. When he opened the door to leave the lab, Tony closed it quickly and then he stared at the door.

"Tony?"

"Not now, Abbs. I've got a problem the size of a dog. Big one... How in the..? How did it get in there..?"

"Who?"

Staring suspiciously at the young woman, Tony wasn't sure if he could trust her to not let the dog inside the lab. He wasn't sure if he could. Correction: he _knew_ he couldn't. McGee was giving him odd looks and he was reminded that the younger man would do pretty much anything if Abby asked him. "Nothing. I've got to go now."

"Is it about Jethro? Oh please, let me—"

" _Bye_ , Abby." Tony opened the door carefully, slipped quickly outside and then closed the door again. Thankfully the beast wasn't in front of the door and simply stood at his spot as if waiting for him. That's when he saw the stains. They were dark and the dog was still licking at his nose now and then, looking blissful.

"Oh no... No, no, _no_..." Tony whispered to himself as he realized what Jethro had done. He might not know too much about dogs, but even he knew that there were many things you did not give to them. Many foods, which he could eat, could be dangerous to Jethro and coffee could not be a good thing... He didn't even own a dog and he'd still somehow managed to kill one already. Plants and pets, he just couldn't keep them alive. To be fair, the only thing close to a pet he'd ever had, were those Sea Monkeys, which his mom drank. Wonderful times...

"Ducky!" He wasn't panicking. He wasn't. He sounded perfectly calm. Really.

When Ducky finally left the lab, he glanced between the young man and the dog who seemed almost serene. Had Jethro been human, there would've surely been amused grin on his face. Seeing the coffee stains on the silver fur was big enough clue to tell Ducky what had happened.

"I swear I have no idea how, but... Coffee! That can't be good for a dog, right? Is he gonna die? He's not dying, right? He can't die. He's gonna die... Oh God, I'm so sorry... This is why I don't have any pets..." And no, Tony most certainly was not panicking. Even if his voice was one or few pitches higher than normal. He grimaced and fought down his raising panic as he looked at Ducky with silent plea to help and do something.

Ducky was amused and he smiled. "Worry not. Our Jethro is a special case. I would prefer that it not be so, but he loves coffee more than anything and while it does make him addicted, his overall health has not been affected. I blame Franks for giving him both coffee and alcohol, but thankfully it did nothing to Jethro's overall health. It only affects his personality and moods for a while."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Looking at the dog, who at least wasn't growling or even in a slightly scary mood, Tony wasn't so sure about trusting Ducky's words. If nothing else, then he was at least questioning the animal's mental health. "That's ridiculous. What if there's some health issues in the future? Sorry, but I can't take that kind of responsibility and guilt over my shoulders."

"Well... If you believe you can stand between Jethro and his coffee, may I suggest you invest on a full body protective gear?"

Tony rubbed his arms with a frown at the mental picture he received from that, combined with his own first impression of the animal. "Fine. I got it. I won't do a thing to stop the stupid dog from dying. But I also won't feed his addiction, even if I have to give up coffee myself, until I find him a permanent place..."

Ducky looked at him oddly, but the old man never said anything, leaving his young friend worry what he wasn't telling him.

It was strangely embarrassing walking back to his desk after that, even if it was much easier now than before with the chain leash. Sure, the dog wasn't his and he hadn't allowed this kind of bad habit to happen in the first place, but it didn't make the feeling go away... Tony wondered with some worry what happened to Allison and to that chain. Whatever it was, from that day on the woman never again tried to hit on him. Overbearing as she was, he might as well count that as a blessing.

"I thought you liked women? You better not have done anything to her..."

Some people were having a quite loud argument over who stole their coffee. To stand between stressed and sleep deprived cop and his cup of liquid comfort and energy was asking to be shot.

"I hope you didn't turn my workplace into a crime scene... I suppose I'm grateful you're apparently at least sneaky and no one knows it was your doing. Stupid dog..." Tony muttered quietly and glared at the dog who flashed his teeth and growled lowly. "Fine. You're not stupid. Happy?" _Stupid dog_. "You could've at least shared some with me. I really could use some coffee right now, however weak and horrible they make it in here."

Jethro finally sat down and observed unhappily at the commotion happening farther away. He whined softly and once again he missed his Shannon. Moving his ears, he focused on the voice of this human. The young one was still a mystery to him. His normal reaction toward a strange male getting too close would've been 'trying' to scare him into submission.

"I really need to introduce you to McGee. That man is scared of dogs and he never leaves that room because of the police dogs he might meet outside. He's being paranoid is what I say. You could be shock therapy. I mean he's gotta leave the room at some point... What do you think? You can do some growling if you have to, but no biting. Agreed?"

The human's voice was oddly calming and even comforting... Jethro sniffled and moved under the desk where he would be closest to Tony's feet.


	4. Chapter 4

In life there seemed to always be exceptions to some rules. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it did.

For Jethro, while he hated human males with passion, both Ducky and Tony were the only men he tolerated, but while he seemed to prefer the females, there was yet to be some big exception to that rule. Until now.

Ziva David liked to think of herself as a generally likeable woman. Not really a bad person, but she just had her own sense of right and wrong. If others had problems with her way of thinking and getting things done and cutting some unnecessary corners when they got in the way, well, that was their problem. Too bad this IA person did not agree with her and too bad they hadn't sent a man, for she was certain that it would have been easy to persuade him into agreeing that there was nothing wrong with her way of doing the job nor was it their business who she was dating. That's why she could hardly be blamed for storming out in the middle of the 'conversation' with that infuriating woman. Someone had gleefully called that conversation as her being sent to 'stand in the corner', which made no sense to her.

Still fuming, Ziva sat down behind her desk and observed her partner doing what he called working. With his feet up on another chair and half eaten Danish Pantry hanging between his teeth, he was furiously typing something on his computer, using exactly two fingers. Honestly, how he managed to finish his paperwork before anyone else did, and every single time, it remained a mystery to her and everyone else with half a mind. Perhaps someone was helping him when no one was looking.

There was slight odor in the air, which made her think of an animal of some kind. A dog perhaps. One who desperately needed a proper wash. How odd, but it would explain the questionable looking silver hair on the man's clothes. Being more of a cat person herself, Ziva wrinkled at her nose.

Already temperamental after being yelled off by both their Major and the IA he-she person, and now done being ignored by him, Ziva rolled her chair in front of his desk. "What are you doing?"

Tony shook his head at her as he concentrated reading something with furrowed eyebrows, although he gave her some short mumbled answer, but with his mouth full there was not a chance she could understand any of it. Feeling that already buzzing anger inside her more than willing to strike, Ziva snatched the Danish Pantry from Tony's mouth and threw it over her shoulder, not caring where it went. She glared at his annoyed looking face. "Did your mother not tell you to never speak with food in your mouth?"

"No. Not exactly." And then he ignored her again, focusing on whatever had caught his interest on the computer screen.

Any smart person would've surely by now learned that when Ziva David was in a terrible mood, it was time to run and hide. You did not ignore her and you did not keep her away from any cases. They were partners, yes? Well, he clearly was not a smart man. She should not be feeling so surprised, but no other man could make her feel so bothered and angry all the time, usually at the same time, and yet he was perhaps the only male who had not fallen under her charms. There had to be something wrong with him.

"DiNozzo!"

Tony finally looked at her, but it was still with that same annoyed look on his face, as if he couldn't be bothered to spare even a time for her. How rude. He shook his head with a soft sigh. "Listen... I'm pretty sure I found something that could help me break the case, so can we do this later?"

She knew it was perhaps slightly foolish, but she wasn't going to really hurt him either, not with possible witnesses around—she was too smart for that—but it didn't matter what her intent was. All that mattered was that the moment when she grabbed the sharp pen and took a threatening pose toward Tony, she very nearly signed her own death warrant, unaware of the pair of blue eyes seeing it and her as a threat.

During the entire time, Jethro had remained under the desk, hidden, unless you looked down and from the right angle.

From the moment she walked in the room, Jethro had disliked the female. Her scent was unpleasant and it reminded him very much of his first human, the male. While there were no strong scent of alcohol on her, she smelled of danger, copulation, death and something terribly unpleasant that he could never really place. She also carried another smell on her that was very much like that of a bitch on heat. Jethro's nose twitched at the unpleasant mixture of odors bombarding at his sensitive nose and he pawed at his nose with a soft huff.

Then that strangely unpleasant female moved closer to his new human. He didn't approve it. There was something about her that woke up his every instinct and sense of danger and need to protect, to hunt and kill. The feeling was violent and primal. While he wasn't one to put his teeth into a human female, Jethro suddenly felt the need to do just that, but it was only after he saw her grabbing something pointy and got threatening toward Tony when he finally moved.

"What—?" Ziva barely got a glimpse of something moving toward her, something big. Had her training—which she held in high regard—failed, she would've found herself with big and sharp teeth in her arm, if not entirely without an arm. As it was, her instinct was to move away, which she did, but only just.

"Jethro! No!" Somehow Tony was already on the other side of his desk and kneeling on the floor, with his hands holding the collar of a... dog? "Bad boy." Somehow the way he said it didn't really convince neither Ziva nor Jethro that he really meant those words.

Ziva stared at them with narrowed eyes. Her heart was still beating wildly and she held her arm, feeling the ghost sensation of a warm dog breath against her skin. She didn't even know where the pen she'd been holding was. "What is that... that... that _thing_?"

Tony kept petting Jethro in a soothing manner, which reminded far too much of someone giving a dog an 'attaboy'. It took worrying amount of time, but Jethro finally calmed down enough to sit down and to no longer try eliminating the threat. He was still giving those scary looks however and whenever Ziva so much as moved an inch, the dog started growling. "I wouldn't even breathe right now if I were you." Tony gave her a look of a wise old man who was pointing out the obvious, but it didn't stop her from trying to move away every minute or so.

"Why is this thing here?" Ziva asked calmly, when all she really wanted was to scream out those words and show the dog who was the alpha between the two of them. Foolish perhaps, but she liked to think of herself as a generally likeable person and to be rejected in such a violent manner by this beast might have hurt her feelings just a little.

"It's a dog, Ziva."

"That is not a dog."

"Sure he is. Can't you tell?"

"I do not—!"

Jethro growled again and Tony let out a suffering sigh. "Ziva. Jethro. Stop it. Behave. Both of you. Now... Ziva, listen carefully. Jethro here is a police dog—I think—and he saw you as a threat. What you did or didn't almost do, it doesn't matter. All he saw was a stranger trying to attack me."

"I will have him dead. He is not safe."

 _And you are?_ Tony wanted to ask, but he smiled mildly and gave her a hard look. "I'm sure you don't want to do that. Pretty sure it's easy to prove my word against yours. Sorry, Jethro. _Our_."

"I do not care. I will find a way. That thing tried to kill me. I am sure I have people who can prove it." Looking around for confirmation, Ziva was disappointed to notice that the people who were there, they were either too absorbed in their work or were doing their best to pretend they didn't see or hear anything. That one screaming criminal didn't help either.

"Did he now? All I saw was him taking that pen from you."

Ziva blinked slowly and only then she saw the pen she'd been holding. It was on the floor, in two pieces. Still, she knew it had not been the pen this beast had tried to get. It had been her arm. "You are lying."

"Am I now? Why would I do that?" Tony asked absently as he was now more focused on the dog than her.

"Listen—!" she started, but took a step back when Jethro growled again.

Tony smiled faintly, with something like amazement on his face as he shook his head at the dog. "I'll make sure he won't come after you. Don't make any sudden moves. Move away and leave slowly. Very slowly. Might be better to not turn your back on him either."

"This is not... I work here."

"Not right now, you don't."

Swearing that this was not the end of this, Ziva muttered something in a language Tony didn't understand and she very carefully did not stomp her way out of the room, with constant growling behind her.

"Shh... She's gone now. Good boy, Jethro," Tony murmured softly as the two of them watched after the woman, until she was gone from their sights.

Jethro seemed unhappy, but he finally moved back under the desk, once he no longer saw or smelled the threat.

"Yeah. I know... There are times when I'd love to bite her as well." Tony sighed as he stood up and rubbed at his aching neck. Time to get back to work and hope he hadn't lost his trail of thoughts, which had almost led him to the first proper lead on the case. But first, where was his Danish Pantry..?

* * *

Hours later found Tony feeling desperate. "Jethro... Please... Eat," he begged as the dog once again ignored the offered food. Jethro hadn't even moved from under the desk, which seemed to have become 'his spot', and only left when Tony did.

Tony was now on a short break and knowing that although he might not much care for it, he had to feed the dog, so he had gone on his way to buy some special treat for 'protecting' him earlier, but much to his disappointment the dog didn't even look at it. It wasn't surprising since Jethro had just lost his owner and there was still time before not eating became life threatening, but it still was starting to unnerve Tony who had no idea what to do. "You're scaring me...

Spending several minutes staring quietly at the dog who hadn't shown any real signs of life since the Ziva episode, Tony pursed his lips. He couldn't do this. He probably _shouldn't_ do this. How he had even thought he could, he had no idea. Arrogance? Or just plain foolishness? Whatever it had been, he hadn't realized he'd probably need to take time off from work and live someplace else, just to get the dog back among the living. He simply did not have that kind of luxury with his work.

"I can't do this and I need to focus finding the one who took your owner from you. I'm sorry. I failed you... I could keep trying, but that wouldn't be fair to you... To be honest, I've always wanted a dog, but I can't be selfish and keep you only because of some stupid childhood wish."

Jethro moved his eyes and watched Tony taking out the thing humans talked to, which made those irritating sounds. When he spoke, the young human sounded defeated. Jethro didn't like it and he finally raised his head.

"Ducky... I hate to ask, but... Could you do me a favor?"

* * *

Since Ducky was someone Jethro was used to and the man would know how to deal with someone like Jethro, it seemed only right thing to do, which was why Tony left the dog at Ducky's place until they could figure out something better and hopefully permanent. Although Ducky kept giving those disapproving looks when he thought Tony wasn't looking, but this was best for everyone. Tony knew that, so he refused to give in to the feeling that he was making a mistake. He blocked it away and refused to even think about the dog while he was working on finding the one responsible for murdering Shannon. Finding and catching criminals were the things he was good at and this was the least he could do.

Jethro was safely locked away in a place that was familiar, but it was also terribly lonely. Shannon used to bring him there and he'd always hated it, but somehow this time worse than before since there was the understanding that this time she would not be coming back for him. Jethro knew from experience that there was no way for him to get out of that room without help, so he took his usual spot in the corner and felt that dark feeling of depression wrap him into even tighter hold now that he didn't have that young human distracting him from the worst of it. There was his favorite food and water near him, but they remained untouched.


End file.
